The music is a theme for Lois Lane, whose role in the film was performed by Margot Kidder. It was originally recorded as a pop-influenced piece, but as the original version might have dated the picture, a more orchestrated version was used for the final film.

It has been said that either Karen Carpenter (of The Carpenters) or Toni Tennille (of Captain and Tennille) were originally considered to perform the vocal, but there is no existing proof that either one actually did it. What is known is that the producers of Superman tried to get Margot Kidder herself to actually sing it but, according to the film’s director Richard Donner‘s commentary track for theSuperman DVD, “it didn’t sound right”. So it was decided that Kidder would recite the lyrics, and this vocal track is what was used for the final film version. Shortly after the film’s release, Maureen McGovern recorded a singing version of “Can You Read My Mind” for release as a single; this version does not appear in the film. (source: Wikipedia)